Albers Corn Bread

Recently, in the Forum JediLow asked for a cornbread recipe. So I thought I'd see how the Albers back of the box recipe does. In my experience, some of the back of the box recipes are horrible and some are excellent (Nestle Tollhouse Cookies). So, here we go.

Supermarkets in my area carry a brand of cornbread called Albers.

Here's the transcribed recipe from the back of this box of Albers Yellow Corn Meal.

In the medium bowl, I placed the corn meal and flour. I measured out sugar, baking powder and salt as well. In the measuring cup, I poured whole milk and canola oil and broke a large egg into it.

I poured the sugar, baking powder, and salt into the medium bowl and gave the dry ingredients a quick whisk.

I whisked the liquids until they were smooth and poured it into the medium bowl over the dry ingredients.

After whisking briefly, I poured the batter into a greased 8x8 inch pan.

Into a 400°F oven it went and twenty minutes later I came back with a bamboo skewer. Plunging the skewer into the middle of the cornbread, I checked to see if anything stuck to the skewer as it came out. It came out clean, so the cornbread was done.

Normally, I'd cut the cornbread into nine pieces of 2-2/3 in. squares, but neither Tina nor I were hungry, so I cut it into sixteen pieces.}?>

So, how did it taste? Tina and I both agreed that there was not enough sugar and for some reason there was a slight sour taste. I can't figure out what could have caused the sourness unless my canola oil had gone bad (I'm sure I would have noticed since I smelled and examined it beforehand). The baking powder should chemically counteract itself (in terms of acid and base reactions) and the milk was definitely not sour (since I had a glass with dinner).

In addition, I found the texture more gritty than what I like in a cornbread (I hate to admit it, but the cornbread I like is from Boston Market), but Tina felt the texture was about right and what she expected.

I'm going to have to test this recipe at least once more to see if the sour flavor persists.
}?>Albers Corn Bread (serves nine)

Cornbread is always better when cooked in a cast iron skillet (the bigger the skillet, the thinner/crispier the cornbread the better). It's done when it pulls away from the edges of the pan and is brown on top.
Grease the skillet before hand by swirling a bit of canola oil around in it. Great way to help bake in the seasoning on the skillet.

The grittiness depends on the cornmeal you buy (buy more finely ground and you might like it better).

Good try. Maybe you'll come up with something you like more. The Better Homes & Gardens recipe is good, that's the one my grandmother made (a lot of the original recipes made it to later versions).

Alredhead
http://alredhead.blogspot.com

On March 28, 2006 at 11:25 AM, an anonymous reader said...

Yeah, Albers will do you in a pinch. But I wouldn't rely on it. Look around for some hippy natural food shop that moves a lot of bulk corn meal. You'll find great stuff there.
You bet the cast iron is the nicest. I usually preheat the sucker for a bit. Rub it with a slice of bacon.
I would substitute the shortening for real lard. I render my own on a regular basis. The light yet rich flavor in baking can't be reproduced with shortening. It gets used in meat pie crusts, greasing of the pancake griddle and curing of the cast iron. Even rendered duck fat doesn't have the same non-stick qualities. Although, duck fat is amazing in its own right. YUM. Especially for sauces ... oh man.

On March 28, 2006 at 11:25 AM, an anonymous reader said...

Ah yes. I'm not a fan of adding the cheese, peppers and canned corn to my breads. But I have to say, fresh Thyme in corn bread is a wondeful thing.

Dr. B. / Meathenge

On March 28, 2006 at 11:25 AM, dayment (guest) said...

Jiffy corn muffin mix with jalapenos and cheddar rules. It ain't exactly homemade, but I like it.

On March 28, 2006 at 11:26 AM, Digital Dater (guest) said...

This has nothing to do with cornbread, but recipes on the back of the box. The Coffee cake on the back of a Splenda box has that coffee house, old diner feel.

Maybe it's one of those simpleton recipes.

Tell me this, is there an easy way to convert Splenda packets into the correct amount of regular sugar that should be used?

Someone outta' make a chart!

The best ingredient of cornbread is the final oozing globs of butter that soak through to the bottom.

On March 28, 2006 at 11:26 AM, The Chunky Girl (guest) said...

I think you'll find that there are many different opinions on what makes good cornbread. My Granny, who was raised on the Tennessee Kentucky border, always made cornbread with white corn meal and buttermilk in a cast iron skillet. She never used egg or sugar so the bread wasn't sweet and was snow white inside. She greased the pan with bacon drippings. Sometimes she'd add "cracklins" I don't know exactly what those are but I'm sure they are a pork product. My husbands family is from south Georgia has a comletely differen't recipe for cornbread. The only way it resembles my Granny's is in the absence of sugar. I'd love to see you try out a few different variations on this recipe and compare.

Cooking for Engineers, good theme. was just introduced to your site by a friend. nice.

On March 28, 2006 at 11:27 AM, Stephanie (guest) said...

Regarding Cornbread, try Alton's recipe...
I can dig it up if you can't find it. I also like my cornbread on the sweet side.

Regarding splenda: I think the packets are the equivalent in sweetness as two teaspoons of sugar. If you want to use Splenda for cooking, I recommend the bulk bag or the bulk box. That kind does measure like sugar (volumetrically, of course). You can only use it for things where the sugar is mixed in - it cannot be caramelized like normal sugar, and I don't think it reduces into a syrup the same way normal sugar does.

On March 28, 2006 at 11:28 AM, Sara (guest) said...

I am not an engineer, but I like to eat. The Jiffy corn muffin mix is excellent--you can do cornbread, and it's easy,fast, and friggin' cheap. One box is approx. $1.00 up here in Seattle.
About the Splenda--I was in a grocery store the other day buying basic baking ingredients, among them sugar. I almost walked out the door with a bag of Splenda instead of a bag of "regular" sugar. So you may not have to sit around opening tiny packets all day in order to get the amount you want--for recipes that call for copius amounts of sweetner, that is.

On March 28, 2006 at 11:28 AM, an anonymous reader said...

The white/yellow sweet/salty cornbread is a north/south divide. Yankees tend to like their cornbread thick, yellow, and slightly sweet. Southern cornbread tends to be white, thin, and salty.

My favorite recipe is the Jalapeño Cheddar Cheese cornbread from Bernard Clayton's Complete book of Breads.

On March 28, 2006 at 11:29 AM, an anonymous reader said...

>The white/yellow sweet/salty cornbread is a north/south divide.
>Yankees tend to like their cornbread thick, yellow, and slightly
>sweet. Southern cornbread tends to be white, thin, and salty.

Really, I thought is was just the opposite. I grew up on savory cornbread in Michigan, and it wasn't until I was in Georgia that I realized sweet cornbread existed. That's where I also discovered pre-sweetened tea in restaurants.

On March 28, 2006 at 11:29 AM, an anonymous reader said...

By the way, as a geeky history buff aside, I work in what is called the "Albers Mill Building" in downtown Portland, Oregon. The building used to be a wheat and corn mill; it's on the riverfront. It's been converted to dotcom offices.

On March 28, 2006 at 11:29 AM, an anonymous reader said...

Your experience is somewhat atypical. It used to be a rule of thumb that the further north you went, the sweeter the cornbread got. Wide distribution of commercial cornbread mixes has obscured this.

Jiffy is northern cornbread: thick, yellow, and sweet. It makes good muffins, but unless you have a real sweet tooth, it's not what you want to use to mop your plate at dinner. Other mixes are less sweet. One clue is the cornbread pictured on the package. If it's white, it's probably less sweet. If your grocery store has a section for black or southern cooking, you might try the cornbread there.

Cracklins (as in cracklin' bread) are the crispy bits left behind after you render down hog fat. They're hard to find these days. Try substituting the bits left in the pan after you fry bacon.

A couple of superior back-of-the-package recipes: Solo Almond Filling (canned, in the baking section; make sure you get the filling, not their almond paste) has a recipe for almond cake that makes people make involuntary happy noises when they taste it. For extra fun, bake it in a ring pan, split it horizontally, and fill and glaze it with hot apricot preserves or marmalade, then coat the top with sliced toasted almonds while the glaze is still hot.

Also: my mother and grandmother both swore the best recipe for canonical pumpkin pie was the one on the back of the Libby's Pumpkin can. After several decades of testing this proposition, I have to admit that I've never found one I like better. You want the straight pumpkin, not the kind that comes with sugar and spices already added.

Teresa Nielsen Hayden

On March 28, 2006 at 11:30 AM, Old Jo (guest) said...

The reason your cornbread tasted sour is that you used much too much baking powder.

I will try the Albers recipe one more time (probably tonight) and then try your recipe. It looks like a lot of sugar, but maybe that's why it tastes wonderful!

Thanks,
Michael

On March 28, 2006 at 11:31 AM, Old Jo (guest) said...

Yes, 3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon, but I used _two_ cups of flour, not one.

I don't know what Albers cornmeal is. I buy "Polenta" in the underground market here in Stockholm. It is not coarse enough for me, but it is all that is available.

On March 28, 2006 at 11:31 AM, an anonymous reader said...

I recently had our family in for a Sunday brunch.We served all the usual things,eggs,bacon,sausage etc.we also served corn bread with jalipenos in it.My grandchildren had never tasted it before and ate it all up.I must do it again.

On March 28, 2006 at 11:32 AM, The Boo Guy (guest) said...

The well-kept secret from Syracuse, New York is the Dinosaur Barbeque. They already have them in Rochester and Manhattan, with more to follow. Their cornbread is unbelievable (i've made it and eaten it at the restaurant), as is everything else they make. The best barbeque, even according to my southern relatives.

Very innovative way of compacting the recipes. You are on to something. I think you can publish a cooking book with that recipe pattern and it will sell. because it's different. I would buy it. But it's got to have color. Just like your pages on the BLOGGER.

On March 28, 2006 at 11:33 AM, McDee said...

Childhood memory that I still make when I'm feeling lazy.

One package Jiffy cornbread mix and one package Jiffy yellow cake mix. Combine all the ingredients and bake as directed. It gives a light, fluffy, sweet cornbread much like you get at many chain restaurants.

On March 28, 2006 at 11:33 AM, fatoudust (guest) said...

There are many people in the South who feel very strongly about the issue of sugar in cornbread. To many, cornbread should not have sugar in it. If it does, then it should be called corn cake or corn muffins, depending upon the form.

There are, of course, many who disagree. It seems to be one of those highly emotional regional things like chili or barbeque that people can get really worked up over.

I've found that using butter instead of oil in the recipe and for greasing the pan helps the texture and flavor of both cornbread and corn cake.

On March 28, 2006 at 11:33 AM, an anonymous reader said...

I prefer sweeter, yellow cornbread. However, I never use sugar, but honey instead. And just enough to leave the hint of honey; the fun part is adding fresh honey & butter while it's still hot. Dipped in chili. Mmm.

On March 28, 2006 at 11:33 AM, an anonymous reader said...

Not to sound dume but can't you use corn oil to coat the pan and add to the mix. Wouldn't that give it more corn flavor?

On March 28, 2006 at 11:34 AM, an anonymous reader said...

So, if you use honey instead of sugar, what's your subsitution ratio? 1/4c sugar = how much honey? "Just enough" is a little tough to measure for some of us.

On March 28, 2006 at 11:34 AM, an anonymous reader said...

The cast-iron skillet is crucial, in my view, and pre-heating it is great, though you can sometimes end up with a tough crust if you are using one of the high-gluten recipies & you pre-heat it all the way to 400.

As far as the north-south divide goes, I'm not so sure. Both of my grandmothers (both old-school Texans who learned to cook in the 20's, presumably before regional differences were all that blurred...) made yellow corn bread.

My mother's mother made it very short, with little sugar added, but using a high ratio of corn meal to flour, which meant it was sweeter than flour-heavy unsweetened cornbreads. She used a large skillet, so the bread was shallow, and shortened it with bacon grease (She would fry breakfast bacon in the skillet, then pour off the extra grease into the cornbread batter, and put the cornbread in the oven to bake while you eat breakfast. You have to eat a lot of bacon to make this work -- not recommended for the cholesterol-threatened.)

My father's mother made a taller, sweeter cornbread, but also using yellow meal. She usually baked it in one of those cast-iron corn-cake pans that make cakes shaped like ears of corn (shorter baking time, more surface area to become crust). She shortened the bread itself with Crisco, but greased the pan with butter.

For my part, I like both of these recipies. I like the flavor of yellow meal better than white. Also, for a more intense corn flavor, you can use a cup of corn meal and, in place of a cup of regular wheat flour, a half cup each of high gluten flour and masa harana or corn flour. You can add kernels of fresh corn, just sliced off the ear. And (yummy with catfish!) you can add sage, black pepper, and onion.

On March 28, 2006 at 11:34 AM, cookieMC (guest) said...

Try Albers White Cornmeal receipe for for Sweet Cornbread. Use whole
wheat flour instead of regular flour. This one is a winner.
Reminds me when I was in school eating at the cafeteria. It is the best cornbread I ever tasted.
Try it once. You will se what I mean.

On March 28, 2006 at 06:41 PM, an anonymous reader said...

Subject: South vs North

I'm another guy from Michigan just like the poster above. Raised on Jiffy cornbread, which is most DEFINITELY not sweet. None of the cornbread up here is. It's when I went to Georgia that I was introduced to sweet, southern cornbread. And as the previous poster, to that God-awful abomination known as sweetened tea. ::shudder::

On May 02, 2006 at 10:29 PM, LAN3 said...

You're referring to "Sweet Tea," which should not be confused with Iced Tea. I enjoy both, as well as the most sensational "Thai Iced Tea" which is black tea on ice with sweetened condensed milk... mmm.

Sweet Tea should be teeth-shatteringly sweet and lemony-minty to a fault. Drink it too fast and you'll be retching, but it's refreshing after a day outside of the A/C in humid weather. Iced Tea may have lemon, but should be generally enjoyed for its own mild bitterness and subtle flavors, preferrably while the day is declining but it's too early to be drinking beer. Thai Iced Tea should be enjoyed as often as the craving strikes, which it will every 3 days after the first time you drink it. It's crack, I tell you.

As the offspring of a New Orleans native and a Seattle native, I've learned to enjoy both sweet and unsweet cornbread-- the only one I haven't learned to love was the time Dad left out the leaveners-- the result was what we call to this day "corn fudge." I prefer the savory cornbread as the side for stews, soups, and chili, while the sweeter corncake as a snack, small breakfast, or side-bread to a meat dish. I butter the sweeter variant, and dip the savory version into the gravy of the stew/soup/chili.

On May 31, 2006 at 07:30 PM, allene211 (guest) said...

Subject: cornbread

Michael [re: Mar 28 corn bread] So, how did your second try with Albers turn out? Read all the comments and have to agree that Jiffy is great and cheap. Also, I wouldn't use Albers again after I tried it once. Stone Buhr makes a decent cornmeal but, you can't find it in all stores.

On September 09, 2006 at 08:22 AM, Elise (guest) said...

Subject: cornbread - muffins

I just used old jo's recipe to make corn muffins with and it was the best yet! the last few times I made corn muffins they were too dry, so I was looking for a new recipe and ended up here.

I mix some of the fine yellow cornmeal with some coarser corn meal, to get a great texture. I know and have a big problem with the taste of too much baking powder in baked goods (also cookies for example), but I wouldn't describe it as sour. It leaves an unpleasant 'edge' on the teeth (sometimes spinach does too). Next time I'll try the recipe with less baking powder (2 t instead of 3).

Real old-time cracklins are available in Mexican grocery stores. Look for Chicharrones.
Re the north/south cornbread divide: I had a mother from New Hampshire and a father from Texas. She made thick sweet cornbread with sweet milk in a baking pan; his mother made thin unsweet bread, with buttermilk, in a cast iron skillet. Crunchy on the outside and creamy on the inside. The unsweet won, hands down, in my opinion. It's very hard to find anymore, unless you know some old Southern country women. I can't make it right, no matter how hard I try.

On October 25, 2006 at 07:48 PM, an anonymous reader said...

Subject: West coast bbq

If you're looking for decent barbecue on the west coast, I liked JR's in L.A> better than Dinosaur in Rochester NY. Don't get me wrong, Dinosaur is gooood. Don't remember their cornbread. I was in a meat-induced hallucination.

On December 16, 2006 at 06:00 PM, vvkatsmeow@aol.com (guest) said...

Subject: Albers corn bread recipe try adding buttermilk for the milk

This recipe is great, try substituting the milk with buttermilk. Tastes more rich this way. Try it with some hot homemade soup.

On January 15, 2007 at 08:50 PM, Rusty (guest) said...

Subject: Oklahoma State Fair 2002 prize winning cornbread recipe

This recipe makes a light, slightly gritty, not too sweet corn bread. I found it on the virtualweberbullet.com BBQ website. It won first place at the Oklahoma State Fair in 2002. Spray canola oil to coat the inside of a 10-inch cast iron skillet. Place skillet in cold oven and turn on oven and heat to 400 F. Mix 1-1/2 cups of yellow corn meal....1/2 cup all purpose flour....1/4 cup granulated sugar....1 tablespoon baking powder....3/4 teaspoon salt. Wisk together in a mixing bowl. In a 2-cup pyrex measuring cup add....1-1/4 cups milk....2 eggs. Wisk until smooth. Heat in microwave 45-seconds to bring to room temperature. Add 1/3 cup canola oil. Wisk until smooth. Wisk wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Wisk until smooth. Pour batter into the heated cast iron skillet. Bake 30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

On January 25, 2007 at 01:55 PM, jks19714 said...

My Father's side of the family is from Mississippi, so I grew up on cornbread of the Southern variety.

Grandmom made it wth a coursely-ground corn meal and used buttermilk instead of milk.

Mmmm.

- john

On March 01, 2007 at 02:57 PM, Syl (guest) said...

Subject: Souther Corn Bread

My family is mainly from Middle Tennessee and Mississippi Delta, and we had biscuits and/or cornbread with every meal. Mom used a cast iron skillet, which she kept greased even when not in use so it wouldn't rust. We NEVER had sweetened cornbread; that would've been corn cake. Mom didn't use much soda (too much could account for a sour taste) and preferred white corn meal, but yellow is fine. Using more flour and less corn meal gives it a more cake-like texture. Between meals we enjoyed cornbread crumbled into a glass of milk or buttermilk.

On March 13, 2007 at 01:28 AM, an anonymous reader said...

I went through several loafs of cornbread using this same brand of cornmeal, canola oil, and the same recipe (but with the original 1/4 c sugar) to try to get rid of the 'sour' taste you also encountered. i would actually describe it as bitter or a burning sensation, rather than taste.

strangely, i also got the same result once while making cookies which used oil instead of butter. so i concluded it was the oil

i substituted butter and got the same taste/sensation. i used different oils. i got fresh baking soda (perhaps that was the problem... i used soda instead of powder. who knows?).

the new baking soda did seem to help, but i also halved the recipe for that loaf, which may have affected it (i was tired of wasting ingredients)

finally, i think i have figured it out. the aforementioned cookies were baked at 400 deg. F. the cornbread is baked at 400 degrees. refined canola oil has a smoke point of 400 degrees. for butter it is 350. reaching the smoke point supposedly causes bad taste among other things.

what do you think??

On March 31, 2007 at 06:35 AM, Barry (guest) said...

In making cornbread I use peanut oil. White Lily self-rising white cornmeal. (This is sold in the South and I think it is available online.) The method taught to me here in Virginia is to heat about 3 tablespoons of peanut oil in a cast iron skillet. We heat this on top of the stove just before the smoke point you will see the oil shimmering. Do not over mix the ingredients, just barely mixed ingredients like you are making biscuits. (We do not add oil or shortening to the cornbread mix nor flour or sugar. This is not corn flavored cake but a coarse bread.) Pour the mixture into the pan (it should really sizzle) and help it spread to the edges and bake at 425 for 20 to 25 minutes. Cornbread is meant to be eaten hot out of the oven slathered in butter. A glass of milk nearby goes very well with this. It is wonderful with all kinds of beef stews or soups. It is meant to be dipped or used to soak up gravy.

The stories I have heard from the old-timers is the cornbread was made with bacon fat and they would pour real milk (straight from the cow with all the cream in it) over the corn bread and soak it in the milk. I was told that this was put in a container in the shape of a bucket with a lid hence the name lunch bucket. That was great for breakfast, lunch or dinner. In the South they also have supper and I still haven't figured out when they squeeze that meal in but it is definitely different than dinner.

Barry

On June 11, 2007 at 06:58 PM, TheFatMan (guest) said...

Subject: Albers Cornbread recipe

Don't know what y'all did wrong but I multipy this recipe by 6, or was is 12, (plan on using the whole box) and bake it in a large aluminum pan. The people I serve think it's so sweet that we could serve it for desert.
Instead of oil I use butter (salted) and instead of heavy cream.
If yer worried about calories and fat don't be. We all die sometime and should live while we're alive. If you live in fear are you alive?

On September 16, 2007 at 05:58 PM, Rhonda (guest) said...

Subject: Cornbread

I enjoy all types of cornbread. I suppose it depends on what I am having. I enjoyed a comment from a comedian who grew up in the South. He said the purpose and result of his Mama's cornbread was to suck every ounce of moisture out of a person's body. One mouthful and "shooop" you were dry as a bone.
célébrez la différence

Add 2 eggs and the milk and margerine to dry ingredients and mix with a fork until just mixed

Pour into a greased 9 x9 pan and

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes

On November 23, 2007 at 03:44 PM, an anonymous reader said...

Subject: Needs buttermilk

Three things I noticed were the lack of buttermilk, no cast iron pan, and use of a whisk. Cornbread should be lightly mixed just to moisten the meal, much like muffins. It gives a better texture. Buttermilk is the preferred liquid, it offsets and alkalinity from the eggs or baking powder. Lastly, cornbread shoul always be cooked in cast iron - be it a skillet or one of the specialty pans like corn sticks or wedges.

On December 12, 2007 at 11:38 PM, jwbrenda (guest) said...

Subject: cornbread - gramma made it good - I make it good

First let me say: LUV THIS SITE!

Now, to the business of cornbread. My gramma was from Bemis, TN, and the cornbread we ate was yellow and only mildly sweet with great texture from the cornmeal. I never learned to make hers (huge mistake), but the recipe on the Albers box made me happy. Then tonight I couldn't find it - it was out of my recipe binder, but I had another (Alber's) recipe to try and tweaked it a bit:

This is VERY sweet and not exactly what I was looking for, but it was yummy just the same. The recipe originally called for 1-1/2 c. flour and only 1/2 c. of cornmeal, so I can imagine this would have been something you could cut into layers and frost. Also, I didn't add the 1/2 t. salt - we are cutting that ingredient everywhere possible. I thought 350 was just not the temperature I remembered for cornbread, but was committed to it once it was in the pan and in the oven, whilst I meanwhile scoured the internet for my familiar recipe. It came out very moist and NOT brown on top, but a light, shiny yellow, with an almost spongelike appearance. Like I said, not what I expected, but yummy just the same. Interestingly enough, the recipe at the top of this pile is the very one I was looking for! And yes, a cast iron skillet is best, and yes, bacon fat is best, but glass is fine and my doctor is happy I miss bacon fat rather than eat bacon fat. :-)

On February 02, 2008 at 07:34 AM, an anonymous reader said...

The sour taste in the cornbread is probably caused by using slightly too much baking powder and/or leaving the mixture for too long before putting in the oven. In either case, the bicarb reacts with the flour instead of just creating bubbles - same thing happens with any soda bread

mix wet and dry ingredients together separately, than combine. Bake at 375F for 10 min then 350F for 15 more.

Makes delicious, incredibly soft cornbread

On September 23, 2008 at 11:30 PM, winsuek said...

Subject: Re:Cornbread with Creamed Corn Falling Apart

:( Does anyone know why the cornbread made with creamed corn falls apart? I did leave out the egg but substituted flax seed meal for the egg (sub that is suggested with flax seed meal web info) But I still don't understand if that is what caused it because I read where one person left it out and did not have the falling apart of the cornbread. I'm just trying to add as much fiber to my husband's diet as possible to help him with his diabetes type 2.

On November 11, 2008 at 09:40 AM, Dusty (guest) said...

Subject: LA/TX cornbread

Buttermilk and baking [u:78d7d6c347]soda[/u:78d7d6c347] will make the cornbread rise, without the bitterness left over from a baking powder reaction.. stir just enough to mix wet and dry, too much stirring makes it flat.. little or no sugar, that's only if you need to hide the bad taste from baking powder, and cornbread naturally have it's own sweetness.. and yes, cast iron preheated gives a really nice crust

On December 16, 2008 at 11:01 PM, an anonymous reader said...

I love to include a half a can of creamed corn in my cornbread. Love the little bit of moisture and sweetness it lends.

On April 22, 2009 at 08:08 PM, Ilanaoaktree (guest) said...

Subject: Cornbread Recipe

With respect I would like to suggest this for you. I have been making cornbread for over 50 years now and everyone always wants more. I adapt it often depending on what I have on hand, but one thing always remains the same I use white cornmeal.
If you use white cornmeal you will get rid of the grittiness that you described in you analysis.
I also agree with and add more sugar or sometimes honey (depends on what I have on hand)
I also add finally minced onion (about 2 Tablespoons) This is also pretty consistent unless I am out of onion.
I also like to make my milk sour by adding vinegar to the milk or I use buttermilk, because it makes the cornbread lighter, more cake like.
I often use vanilla soy milk because I have it on hand.
Try it I think you will like it! :)

On June 07, 2009 at 02:54 PM, an anonymous reader said...

Subject: sour cornbread

My cornbread was sour when my baking powder was old and chunky. It had collected moisture and didn't mix well with the other dry ingredients.

On June 08, 2009 at 12:06 AM, Michael Chu said...

Subject: Re: sour cornbread

Anonymous wrote:

My cornbread was sour when my baking powder was old and chunky. It had collected moisture and didn't mix well with the other dry ingredients.

The basic (as in alkaline) ingredient(s) in the baking powder may have reacted already leaving an excess of acidic.

If you have issues with clumping due to moisture (perhaps living in a humid environment), check out Dry Spice. It may help with the problem.

This the best corn bread. I couldn't find the recipe I grew up with. And this is Identical to it.

On October 21, 2009 at 04:25 PM, Dallasmom (guest) said...

Subject: This Albers recipe is the best recipe!

I grew up in California, and this was always the recipe we used. I love this Albers recipe, and we use it all the time. It is very quick and easy, and I have never had a problem with bad taste. I think it has just the right amount of sweetness.

On October 26, 2009 at 01:20 AM, Cajun Queen (guest) said...

Subject: CORNBREAD

Well as a girl growing up in Baton Rouge, I ate the best cornbread of my life! It was at my elementary school in the cafeteria. It was tall/high, DARK yellow, VERY coarse, NOT sugary sweet, and VERY moist. It actually tasted like a buttered ear of fresh corn!! This kind of cornbread is delicious with a big plate of red beans and rice. Yuummmm!!!

My mom made hers quite differently, with the white cornmeal that she learned from HER mother (who was from Alabama-Georgia). My grandmother's tasted like CRAP, was very thin, white, full of sugar, and very cake-like consistency. DAMNED YANKEE BREAD. Gag!! It's too bad I didn't inherit my grandmother's cast-iron skillet though.

There are SIX SECRETS to good cornbread:
1) Cast-iron skillet is a must for crunchy edges and also cuts down on cooking time.
2) NO WHEAT FLOUR. This is cornbread, not cake!
3) NO SUGAR or other sweeteners. The only sweetness coming through should be the natural sweetness of the corn.
4) Do not whisk, beat, or otherwise mix the batter a lot. Just moisten the dry ingredients with the wet, almost like you were making biscuits.
5) Browned butter adds a wonderful flavor and a whole new dimension to your cornbread.
6) Baking your cornmeal to release its flavor before mixing your batter yeilds incredible results!

Cajun Queen

On October 26, 2009 at 01:22 AM, Cajun Queen (guest) said...

Subject: Addendum

Addendum: Forgot to mention that STONE-GROUND CORNMEAL is incredible and surpasses steel-cut garbage every time.

On October 28, 2009 at 03:49 AM, an anonymous reader said...

Subject: Cornbread recipe

Hi my name is Terri. I'm not an engineer, but my dad was one, so maybe that will give me a little credibility in this forum...anyway, use the recipe for corn muffins found on the side of the Alber's box. It is much better than the recipe on the back of the box for cornbread. Bake it just like you would the cornbread. Tastes great.

On November 17, 2009 at 01:04 AM, an anonymous reader said...

Some people commented on liking Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix. Here's
a copy cat recipe for when you are out of Jiffy.

This recipe is from my Great Grandmother's Southern kitchen. Previous posters are correct about using cast iron for corn bread. It's the only way to go!

The only change I have made to this recipe is to use half coarse ground corn meal (polenta) and half medium ground cornmeal (Albers or other commercial cornmeal). I do prefer a bit of crunch in my cornbread!

I use a 9 inch cast iron skillet for this. Preheat the oven to 425º. while you're pre-heating, put the skillet in the oven with the butter and let it melt and pre-heat the skillet.

Mix the dry ingredients completely. Make a well in the middle and add the egg beaten into the dairy. Add the melted butter while stirring. Mix well - but don't over do it.

Pour batter into the skillet and put in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

If you want to spice it up, you can add a cup of grated cheddar, a cup of frozen corn and some chopped jalapenos (remove the seeds). i would say 1-2 Tbsp - depending on your predilection for heat! This tastes great with chili or soup on a cold winter evening!

Enjoy!

On June 21, 2012 at 09:06 PM, cornbread lover (guest) said...

Subject: cornbread turns orange

Hi, does anyone know why my cornbread sometimes turns a orangey color even tho the meal is white stone ground.It does not do it all the time and I always go by the recipe.The recipe calls for 1 1/2 meal, 1/2 c. flour, 1/2 teasp. salt and soda ,2 eggs,1/4 c melted butter and buttermilk .Sometimes it is snow white and delicious and other times it has a orange look and not so good.Thanks

On June 21, 2012 at 10:05 PM, Dilbert said...

well, if you grind white corn,
and you grind yellow corn,
the results, color wise, sure look a lot alike.

but if you are using corn meal from the same "bag" and sometimes
- after baking -
it's white and sometimes it yellow

that would be a big puzzlement.

>>eggs
the yolk color can vary seriously big time.
could indeed affect color, not so convinced it would affect taste.

The cornmeal is white.But sometimes(from same bag) it has orange specks and the entire cornbread has a orange tint to it when baked it looks the same before baking and it is not as moist as it normally is.I was thinking maybe the soda has something to do with it I always measure that too.Its a puzzler but just thought someone might know why it does that because I sure don't and I am 61 yrs old so I have been baking cornbread a long time and never ran across this before.Thanks

On June 23, 2012 at 08:19 AM, Dilbert said...

is this a commercial cornbread or something like local stone ground?

reason I ask, we used to get stone ground from a 'historic preserve' / operation and I can remember the little colored flecks in that meal - it was just whole corn, ground - I don't think they even sifted it - it would fall out of the millstone, they'd scoop it directly into a bag.....

I wonder if the bag content have 'settled out' some - so you're getting more or less of the bigger/heavier (presumed) color flecks as you go through the bag?

the moisture content - with 2 cups of dry + buttermilk, that's a fairly small amount - slight variation in the flour weight or buttermilk will be more noticeable in a small batch. I'm cooking small batches for two, and I've taken to using a scale and weighing everything - including liquids - so the results are more consistent.

On June 24, 2012 at 07:23 PM, cornbread lover (guest) said...

Subject: cornbread turns orange

I buy the meal from Cades Cove visitors center in the Great Smokey Mtns. I will try mixing the meal up,the meal could have indeed settled hadn't thought of that.I also keep the meal in the frig I can't use up a 5lb bag for about two months. It just puzzles me why it don't do it all the time but it has turned orangey the last 4 or 5 times so I will stir up the next time and try that. Thanks for you input.

On July 30, 2012 at 07:54 PM, Elisabeth (guest) said...

Subject: Albers cornbread from the box

I love this way of making cornbread...have used it for 20+ years. I do make one change...increase the sugar to 1/3 cup. Thanks for having this one on line. My daughters lost the copy I had recently, after using it. They love this version, too.d

On January 02, 2015 at 12:00 PM, Cali Girl (guest) said...

Subject: Old School Texans

I grew up with this recipe. My mom, who was born during the depression and raised by her grandmother in a very poor Southern Texas household, made this recipe exactly as printed, with one exception -- no sugar. We're making bread, not dessert ;) It's obviously not the type of cornbread most people are used to (think Marie Calendars) but to me this is Southern comfort food at its best, warmed and oozing with butter, instant heaven.